From her past, she runs
by KiwiFrube-x
Summary: Something happend to Mikan while Hotaru went to Gakuen Alice. A new Student arrives. Why is Mikan so scared of him? "Long time no see Mi-chan." "W wh what're you doing here?" Rated T for possible violence and language. MxN forever! Slight HxR possibility.
1. Prologue Part 1

Hey!! Sorry I might have confused some people with the announcement thing on that now "Untitled" story :S I don't like confusing people unless it's intentional xP Well anyways, you know the summary but if you forgot then I'll refresh your memories :P

MEMORY REFRESH!!!

**Summary:** **Something happened to Mikan while Hotaru was away in Alice Academy. A new student arrives. Why is Mikan so scared of him? "Long time no see Mi-Chan." "Wh-wh-what're you doing here?"**

MEMORY REFRESH OVER!!!

Okay so you got that?? Good! Lol xP Hope you all like the new and improved version of, "From her past, she runs." Oh and PLEEAASE don't forget to review. They help me improve either my plot or my writing style Thanks again!! Okay I'll shut up now so you can read…

Tammy: Finally!!

Me: How'd you get out of the volcano!?!

Tammy: -blank stare- … since when did you put me in a volcano??

Me: -thinks- Oh wait, that was Natsume. Never mind

Zap: Just get on with the story.

Me: Okay, okay, sheesh! Keep your wig on: P

**Story: From her past, she runs.**

**Authoress:** **SpringFairy14**

**Chapter 1: Prologue – Part 1**

**This first chapter is dedicated to my Onii-san who turned 24 yesterday HAPPY BE-LATED BIRTHDAY!!!**

**Let the story, begin….**

_Leave me alone  
Get out of my face  
I'm tired of love  
Feeling so misplaced  
Time for you to go  
'Cause I know I'm better off on my own, oh  
Leave me alone_

"Leave Me Alone" by the Veronicas

"You're just a selfish, worthless, ungrateful, good-for-nothing bitch! I don't know why I even bother trying to make you a better person. It's not like you care anyway. I bet you don't even love me."

"That's not true! Of course I love you, you know I do! I love you more then life itself. But what you're doing to me… it's wrong! If you love me like you say you do then you wouldn't-"

SLAP!!

The cold, hard slap sent the poor brunette girl spinning towards the floor. She slowly touched the swollen cheek, her eyes glazing over with unshed tears from the pain shooting up the right side of her face.

"Shut up! Did I say I want your opinion? I don't think so. You should learn to only speak when spoken to. How many times do I have to tell you that before you actually take it in? Go do the dishes and then go to bed. I've had enough of your whining for one night."

The poor girl slowly got up, hiding the tears now streaming down her face with her long bangs. She made her way to the door and then looked back at the guy she loved for the past few years. She took in his features. The once handsome face was now distorted by anger and frustration. What did he have to be frustrated about? She simply told him that he wasn't showing love and compassion by hitting her, calling her hurtful names and trying to make her into something she wasn't. She had to get out of there, but where would she go? Her grandfather died a few years ago and the only _true_ friend she ever had was studying in a school somewhere in Tokyo since they were 10 and that was 5 years ago. She didn't have anyone to go to. She didn't have anywhere to run to. She was living with her boyfriend, whose parents had died when he was 5, so it was only them and some staff that lived in the house-come-mansion. Yeah, her boyfriend was rich. Well he was, after all, the oh-so-famous, Seji Takanashi.

She turned away from those eyes, those eyes that once showed love, tenderness, kindness and compassion. Now… now all it showed was anger, frustration and bitterness. It hurt, it hurt a lot, to see the one that you thought would care for you, that would look after you, to see them suddenly go from the greatest person in the world, the one that made you the happiest you had ever been, to being the one that caused you the most misery.

As she made her way to the kitchen, she saw a letter on the table, addressed to her. It was unopened, meaning that, for once, her sadistic boyfriend didn't pry into her life. She turned it over and saw an official looking seal. It was a star with an A on it. The hazel eyed brunette broke the seal and read and re-read the letter, not believing what the contents of the letter was telling her.

_Dear Miss Sakura,_

_We have currently required knowledge of some 'strange happenings' that have been linked to you. We would like to arrange a meeting with you as soon as possible to discuss and explain the appropriate way to deal with these problems. There is no need to be worried though, you are not in trouble. However, these 'strange happenings' are a concern, and we would like to do what's best for both you and the people around you. The meeting would be at 5pm in Alice Academy, Tokyo. Train tickets are enclosed with this letter and a car has been arranged to pick you up from TokyoRails train station _(not a real train company. I made it up… I think. Well I never heard of TokyoRails anyways xP)_. Hope to see you soon! ;)_

_Yours truly,_

_Mr Narumi _(Wow, who knew Narumi could be so professional? Lol)

What? So… she'll be able to… leave? Slowly, but surely, a small smile crept its way onto the brunettes face.

'_I can escape.'_ She thought happily.

She went through the dishes quicker then usual. The tickets were booked for a first class carriage and the train was leaving tomorrow. She'd have to get up pretty early to get there on time. She went to the bedroom she shared with the devil incarnate. As she opened the wardrobe, _he_ walked through the bedroom door and looked her up and down. She noticed something different about his eyes. There was something new in them. Not exactly love, but not hate either.

'_Lust,' _she concluded

Her eyes widened when she realised what he was thinking. He stepped toward her, she stepped back only, she started off closer to the wardrobe then usual anyways so now she was pressed against the door she left closed. In a matter of seconds, he was in front of her. He pinned her to the wardrobe door by her arms and started kissing her neck.

"Don't leave me," he murmured against her skin, "I'm sorry about slapping you. You know what I'm like when I'm in one of my moods. I didn't mean any of it." He took his hands from her arm and wrapped them around her waist, rubbing her back in an arousing manner.

Up until a few months ago, that action alone would have been enough to make her want to stay. Not this time. She knew what he really wanted. She wasn't ready, but she knew he wouldn't care. He _always_ got what he wanted.

'_I won't give into him this time.'_

She gathered all the strength she could and pushed him away from her. In all honesty, she didn't have much strength to begin with, but, with added fear and the element of surprise, she sent him a good few feet away. Good enough for her.

"That's not going to work this time. I'm going to that meeting whether you like it or not."

She saw his face change, saw the smile fade to a scowl. She saw the lust leave his eyes, only to be replaced some seconds later with cold, blind fury. In one swift movement, he had seized her upper right arm and shoved her against the wall next to the closet. He grabbed her throat, squeezing it so she could breathe, but just barely. He lowered his head to her ear and she shivered as she felt his hot breath against her neck.

"If you leave me, I swear, I'll hunt you down, make your life miserable and then, if I'm feeling kind enough… I'll kill you." He whispered. He tightened his hold on her throat, lifted her off her feet and then threw her onto the bed. She would have banged her head on the headboard if she hadn't been used to this kind of treatment already. Five years with this guy, anyone would want their freedom, which was why she wasn't giving up. She looked under her pillow, searching for something she'd placed there for emergencies like this.

'_Where is it? I know I put it under here… Ah!! There it is.'_ In one swift move, she produced a wooden baseball bat (don't ask, it was the only thing I could think of ok!! Just imagine there was a gab big enough for a baseball bat to fit there and she covered the gab up with her pillow ok?? Good).

He was coming up behind her. She turned around and…

_Swing_

She hit him on the side of the head, knocking him unconscious.

"Oh my God, did I just do that?" She asked herself, once she had let out the breath she had unconsciously been holding. She looked at him closely. There was already a lump forming, along with bruising, on the right side of his head where she had hit him.

"Oh no what have I done, he's going to kill me!" She sat and thought for a good 15 minutes, debating whether to go ahead and leave him while she has the chance, or call the hospital and miss her chance to get out of this hell hall. She went for the first option.

She gathered her things, shoved them all in a backpack, got her cell phone, and left the house. As she was walking down the street, she dialled a number.

"Moshi, moshi, Sakura Petals Hotel, how may I help you?"

"I want to make a booking for tonight."

"Okay and whose name should I put it under?"

"Sakura, Mikan Sakura."

"Okay thank you for booking with Sakura Petal Hotel. You will get your room number once you have signed in."

"Okay, thank you." And with that, Mikan hung up.

'_Right, now how to get there. Hmmm'_

As she was thinking, a yellow taxi pulled up in front of her.

"Got somewhere to be Miss," asked the vehicles driver.

"That'll work." She mumbled under her breath. "As a matter of fact, I do. Could you please take me to Sakura Petals Hotel?"

"Sure thing"

She chucked her back bag on the backseat and climbed in afterwards. As the cab pulled out from the sidewalk, she gave a one last look at the place she could never call home. She looked at the middle window of the third story, where _he_ was currently lying on the flood, unconscious and probably going to have one major headache when he wakes up. She sighed as she looked away from the disappearing house. She was going to miss the nurse the most. The nurse, Mitsuki was her name, she was really nice. She'd always help Mikan when she had gotten beaten quite badly by her boyfriend. She'd put the bandages on properly, so the limbs would heal as quickly as possible, she'd apply the appropriate medication to any wounds from pieces of glass or something sharp that had been thrown. She was like an auntie that helped her niece when she'd gotten in trouble with her parents. She was really kind.

Mikan put a smile on her face as the tears welled up in her eyes. She wasn't going to cry. _She _made her promise to always smile, her best friend in the world, the one that left her 4 years ago for a well known school in Tokyo. There was a slight chance that she'd be able to meet her again. Tokyo couldn't possibly be _that_ big a place… right? Well, whatever, Mikan was determined to meet her friend again. Nothing would stop her now.

Absolutely nothing

She couldn't blame Hotaru for leaving. She was forced to go. She just couldn't wait to find her though. To hug her again, to talk to her again, to see the intriguing shade of violet her eyes took up when she was amused, angry, scheming, agitated and happy… especially when she was happy. As Mikan started reminiscing on days spent with Hotaru when they were little and before she met the sadist boyfriend, she feel asleep. Once she woke up, the sun seemed to be rising.

'_Weird, it shouldn't have taken that long to get to Sakura Petals Hotel. It was only a few blocks from the house… -MENTAL GASP! - No way! We're almost in Tokyo!'_

"Hey! Where are we going? I only told you to take me to Sakura Petals!" She yelled at the cab driver.

"Heh, and give away my ticket to easy street? I don't think so. Do you have any idea how much you're worth?"

She knew. Not only was her _ex_-boyfriend rich, he was famous for it too, and because she was going out with him, that consequently made her famous-_ish_ as well. Still, that didn't mean that this guy had to _**kidnap **_her!! Ever heard of common decency?

Didn't think so

'_-mental sigh- I guess I'll have to find a way out of this. Now… what is there in here??'_ She looked around the car for any means of escaping when suddenly, her eyes fell upon the car door lock ((I don't know what they're really called but they're those things that lock a certain door or (if it's the main one) locks all the doors… you all know what I'm talking about)). It was still up, which meant it was still unlocked. A plan started formulating in her head.

"You really don't know do you?" She questioned her kidnapper.

"Don't know what?" He asked, looking at her through the rear view mirror.

"That me and the one you're planning on blackmailing broke up just last night, hence the reason I was heading to Sakura Petals. He wouldn't give a damn that you have me and could kill me at any time."

"You're just saying that so I'll let you go and you can go running back into the arms of your rich, all loving boyfriend." The man said sarcastically, not believing a single word coming from Mikan's mouth.

'_Oh, if only you knew how wrong you were.'_ She thought, angrily. _'Right, since you're gonna be a stubborn idiot kidnapper, I guess I have no choice.'_

"Fine, be like that! But can you stop the car? Nature is calling after all."

"Can't you hold it in, you snot nose brat?"

"Hey! When a girl's gotta go, a girl's gotta go. So are you gonna stop this contraption or what!?"

"-sigh- Fine, but we're not staying for long." He pulled over at a near-by gas station and stepped out of the car. When he went round to get Mikan out of the back seat, she threw the door open, effectively slamming the door in the man's private parts. (Ouch. That has gotta hurt . ) While the man lay on the ground, trying to ease the pain as much as physically possible, Mikan ran as fast as she could to get away from the scary man. She knew this part of Tokyo, thank God, because she had visited it a few times for social gathering with Seji's friends. She ran towards a big, 20 story building owned by one of her so-called 'friends'. She never trusted anyone her ex-boyfriend introduced to her. It may have just been paranoia, but she could have sworn they were always whispering when they thought she wasn't paying attention. Anyway, back to the story. Mikan was now in the reception room, heading toward the desk when she was greeted by a rather sharp sounding, masculine voice.

"Mikan, what are you doing here? Where's Seji?" she froze. This was bad. Why him, of all people? She turned around, and quickly summoned a convincing smile.

"Why should I be worrying about Seji anymore? We broke up last night. I was just wondering if I could get directions to the train station, I do have a train to catch after all Muri-kun."

"What?? But… why did you break up? I thought you two were happy together. Seji was going to propose to you on your 18th birthday. We'd been planning that since last month! Why did you let this happen?" was the cold hearted reply.

"Listen, this is none of your business Muri-kun. It's mine and Seji-kun's, so stay out of it. And if you aren't going to tell me the directions, then I'll go elsewhere." She was about to turn when Muri grabbed her upper arm.

"Wait! Fine I'll tell you the way, you can never be too careful around these parts."

'_No kidding,'_ Mikan though, sarcastically, as she rolled her eyes towards the ceiling

"Just don't tell Takanashi that I told you were to go, okay?" He warned. After that, he took out a pen and some paper and started scribbling down the directions. Once finished, he put the clicked then pen closed and handed Mikan the direction filled paper.

"Thank you Muri-kun, you have no idea how grateful I am towards you." Mikan said with a bow and gratitude evident in her sweet voice. As she straightened herself, she could have sworn she saw a hint of regret and sorrow in her 'friends' eyes. Maybe he was starting to feel guilty? Who knows? To be honest, she didn't really much care anymore. She just wanted to get to this Academy so she could rest.

**-20 minutes later-**

**-In front of Tokyo railway train station-**

"-Sigh- I'm finally here. I wonder how long it'll be till the rid-…" She felt a light tap on her shoulder. As she turned around, Mikan's eyes met with a youngish man in a gray/blue uniform with a cap on his head. He had dark, raven coloured hair and light green eyes.

"Excuse me, but are you a Miss. Mikan Sakura?" He asked politely.

"Um… yes I am. How may I help you?" She replied cautiously, not wanting to be kidnapped again.

"Begging your pardon, ma'am, it's just you arrived earlier then expected, so I had to check. My name is Shino, and I'll be your chauffer for today." She noticeably eased up.

"Okay. Thank you for picking me up by the way."

"It's no problem at all, madam," and off she went. Onward to the Academy, where she hoped her life would improve.

It took around about half an hour to get from the train station, to the Academy. During the while, Mikan had kept herself busy by taking in the buildings she passed by and thinking about what lied ahead of her. She wasn't one to relax, just because she thinks she's out of danger. She had learned never to let her guard down until she was absolutely positive it was safe.

Slowly, she realised that this one building they were going past seemed to be never ending. It was like a mini version of the Great Wall of China.

"Um, excuse me Shino-san, but, what is the name of the building that we are going past now?" She questioned, curiosity killing her slowly.

"That would be the wall separating the Academy from the outside world of Tokyo. It is a precaution used to help protect the students from… erm… _bad_ people, who want the special gifts the pupils of this fine school posses for themselves and would do anything for them."

"Oh. Fair enough I guess if it's for security reasons."

The car came to a pair of big, golden gates. The man standing guard went up to Shino and started to ask for ID, only to stop mid sentence, bow apologetically and mumble some incoherent words and phrases, no doubt scolding himself for some God-only-knows reason. The poor man rushed back to his station and sent a message to the main building, saying their visitor had arrived. After doing so, he immediately opened the gates to let them in.

"Shino, why did that man seem to be scared out of his wits when he realised that it was you who was driving?"

"Time will tell young miss. Time will tell," was the wise reply.

Mikan frowned. _'He could have answered me properly. It was a simple enough question'_

Mikan sighed. She'd rather people not speak in riddles when they were talking to her, but what could she do? It was their choice. She just had to go with the flow, right?

Before she knew it, the car was pulling up in front of the entrance to the main building and someone was opening her door.

As she stepped out she saw a man- or was it a woman? She really couldn't tell. Anyway, she saw SOMEONE heading toward them. They had longish, curly blond hair reaching their shoulders, bright, lively purple eyes sparkling with _slightly_ gay-ish happiness. They wore a lilac, frilly, long-sleeved shirt and black hip huggers accompanied by shiny black, 1 inch heeled boots.

"You must be Miss. Sakura, am I right? My name is Mr. Narumi and I'll be your escort to the meeting. Like I mentioned in the letter, you are not in trouble, we would just like to discuss what to do about the incidences. Come along."

Apparently, the _person_ was a guy. He was kind of creepy. The whole time he was talking, he had been grinning like a mad man. It was unnerving. Mikan shook her head, trying to get rid of the slight paranoia she was feeling at the time. She followed the gay- um, I mean, man, into the building and down multiple corridors and hallways until he stopped in front of a door with a bronze plaque with the words _'Staff Room'_ clearly visible and readable. The name named Narumi opened the door and stepped aside, waiting for Mikan to step inside. She did as was expected of her.

Once in, she noticed the room was full of people; Adults to be more precise.

Taking in a deep breath to calm her nerves, she said, "My name is Mikan Sakura. I was called for a meeting."

"Ah, Miss. Sakura, how wonderful it is to meet you at last." An icy cold voice, cold enough to send chills up and down your spin drifted over.

Mikan stiffened. That voice. That voice sounded so… so… it sounded so lonely. Normal people would have been terrified by the chilliness of the tone, but she could hear the slight loneliness and bitterness the owner felt (Trust her to be oblivious to the obvious and concerned with the unobvious). It made her slightly sad.

She turned around to look at the owner of the voice. The first thing she noticed was he wore a white mask. Through the eyeholes she could see black eyes staring at her intently with… anger? She dismissed the thought quickly and continued taking in the appearance of the stranger. He had long black hair, not as long as Narumi's but not as short as Seji's. From what she could see of his face, it was smooth and looked almost delicate. He wore lots of jewellery. Not the type that makes you look gay. The type that makes you look like a Goth. He had numerous rings on his fingers and wore a number of earrings of different varieties ranging from the simple stud to the devilishly dangly. In short, he was pretty scary looking.

"What's wrong, little girl? Cat got your tongue?" The man clad in black sneered.

She couldn't do anything but stare at him. He seemed so… familiar to her. But where had she seen him?

'_Argh, this is getting frustrating!'_

"(Ahem!) Could we please proceed with this 'meeting' at you put it Narumi," interrupted a male teacher who had a frog on his shoulder. He looked very old, around the age of 50 to 55 (I have no idea on how old Jinno sensei really is, but this is just my (slightly) educated guess).

"Oh yes, of course! Now, Mikan-chan, as you know, you have a special gift that we consider very rare. That gift is called an Alice, and the possessor of an Alice would also be called an Alice. Do you understand what I've said so far?" She nodded a quick yes. "Good. Now, as you may have guessed, this school is a school that is specifically for Alice users so they could learn how to control their power as well as continuing with their education. We have recently discovered that you posses one of the rarest Alice's of all. It is so rare, that there is only one other recorded possessor of said Alice. You have the power to nullify any Alice in the world." He finished (rather lamely might I add . )

Mikan looked at the bubbly teacher as if he was a mad man. "Right… and you expect me to believe this how? I'm sorry, but it's all too far fetched. I thought I was just requested here to be offered a place in the school, but…" She was interrupted with a sigh from the previously mentioned blond haired teacher. With disappointment clear in his voice he simply said, "Fine, if you need proof that you have the Nullification Alice then so be it." And suddenly, his disappointed face turned into a huge grin. "Jin-jin, would you care to electrocute our new, cute little angel pleeease?"

"I thought I told you never to call me Jin-jin again, Naru." The teacher with the frog said sternly. (Lol xP Sorry to interrupt again, but I just pictured Jinno's face when he said that and I just had to laugh xD) Then, the teacher raised a metal stick and pointed it toward the sceptic and slightly confused brunette. Suddenly, a bolt of electricity shot out of the tip of the stick and headed towards the said girl. Mikan quickly shut her eyes, waiting for the jolt of pain to shoot through her, but none came. After a few more seconds of waiting, she opened her eyes to find all the teachers except Narumi, Persona and Jinno had shocked looks upon their faces. They hadn't really believed Narumi when he stated what Alice this girl had, but boy were they eating their words (or thoughts as the case may be) now.

"Okay, what in hells name happened just now? I thought I was about to get electrocuted!" Her voice started as a whisper, but steadily grew into a slight yell.

"Now do you believe me?" Mikan thought about it for a bit and then slowly, she found herself nodding. "Perfect! Now that you have accepted your Alice, I guess we should introduce you to your new class mates, right? Don't worry about school uniform today; you can just wear what you're wearing now. I'll have the Girls dorm matron prepare your room and deliver your uniform. Now, let's get moving, I'm already late for my homeroom class." And with that, the gay teacher grabbed Mikan's wrist and started dragging her out the room and down the corridors as he explained the rules and regulations of the school.

* * *

So, what do you think so far? I know my writing style sucks and I have really weak sentence structures, and no doubt my computer was lying to me when it was checking and correcting my spelling, grammar and punctuations. I really hope it wasn't _too _bad anyways.

This took me forever to write (mainly because I had HUGE writers block to over come half way through it). I'm not a very good updater, so it may be a while until you get the second half of the prologue (or maybe not?). It might not be as long as this one though, as it will basically cover Mikan's first (And first only) day of Alice Academy. You know, the usual stuff like Mikan finding Hotaru, meeting Natsume and the rest of the gang. -Sigh- This was a really boring chapter and the next one isn't looking too promising either T.T I wish I was a better writer then this T.T J.K!! I HAVE FAILED YOU!!! -starts crying uncontrollably-

Anna: There, there Kiera -pats back- I'm sure she'll forgive you.

Anna: Yeah, Anna's right! Don't dwell on how bad you did! Just think on how you can improve from here!

Koko: -Looks from one Anna to the other- Why are there two Anna's??

Me: Because I decided I wanted to put My Hopeless Romantic in my A/N's, got a problem? -gives out evil aura-

Koko: No, no. No problem at all -sweat drops-

Me: Good. –To the readers- Thanks everyone for reading my first chapter!! Please be kind enough to leave a comment. I DO NOT accept flames as I already know how suck-ish this fic is. CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is appreciated however. Seeee ya when I see ya!!

Oh! Before I forget!

**Disclaimer:** I'm only gonna say this once! (unless I need to claim/disclaim something else) I DO NOT OWN GAKUEN ALICE! I DO however own Seji and Muri. Muri may possibly never enter in this fic again though. Seji? Well just read the summary and make your own answer up!


	2. Prologue Part 2

Hey all!! Well I'm glad people liked my first chapter. Hopefully I won't let you all down with part 2 of the prologue xP

To my silent readers: Don't be shy, leave a review! I don't bite… much 

To my reviewers: Thanks for the feedback. I love you guys!!

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**Story: From her past, she runs.**

**Authoress: SpringFairy14**

**Chapter 2: Prologue – Part 2**

**This one is dedicated to all my friends in the Xiaolin Showdown category. I'm sorry I haven't read your updates in over two years T.T**

_Put yourself in her position  
All she needs is recognition  
Love's not enough when you say it  
Don't you know you've gotta mean it  
Screwin__' up the best thing ever  
Is something you'll regret forever  
Take her and make sure she feels it  
Let her know you'll never let her go_

-"Sleepless Nights" by Faber Drive

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It was like any other day in Alice Academy. The sun was shinning, the birds were singing, the students with the chemistry Alice were making potions, the pupils with the Human Pheromone Alice were busy either attracting members of the opposite sex or getting members of the same sex to do their bidding. All in all, it was pretty ordinary… for Alice Academy that is. However, for the pupils of class 2B, something a little _out of the ordinary_ was about to happen.

They were all sat at their desks, doing what they usually did before their homeroom teacher came in. A girl with pink, curly hair was playing with some chocolate chip cookies that had come to life like the ginger bread man from the Shrek films. Next to her, a girl with dark blue, straight hair was mixing two flasks of different coloured liquids together. After about the fourth time of putting the, now rather sickly colour of green, liquid into the different flask, a loud boom was heard and as the smoke cleared, the blue haired chemist was revealed grinning from ear to ear, holding a now transparent liquid in the flask. A few desks away, a boy with dirty blond hair and chocolate coloured eyes was smirking, staring intently at the boy in front of him. '_What if she doesn't think of me that way? I don't know what I would do if I couldn't see and talk to her everyday.'_ The boy with blond hair started sniggering. Oh how he loved listening in on peoples private thoughts, especially when they concerned the thinkers' love life. Next to the mind reader sat a girl with green, permed hair, with whiskers of a cat and ears of a dog. She was staring dreamily at a boy with raven hair. The said boy was leaning back on his chair, hands behind head, feet on the table, manga on face, giving the impression that he wasn't paying any attention to his surroundings. Next to him sat a blond boy with bored, blue eyes. A pure white rabbit was sat on his lap as he absent-mindedly stroked the cute little creature.

Suddenly, the whole class quietened down when they realised their homeroom teacher had actually appeared, after being absent for the past week. They wondered if there was something important he had to say, or if he finally took pity on the substitute teacher he had assigned for them. Some of the students winced, remembering what they were like that past week. Even they would admit they were a bit harsh on the poor man. -Sigh- but that's what you get for trying to control their class like you were someone important.

Noticing their discomfort, Narumi started speaking, "Don't worry, I'm not going to give you all punishments for forcing Fukutan-sensei into taking a small break from teaching so he can see his therapist… again. No, this time, I'm here to introduce a new student to you all. Mikan-chan, you can come in now."

The door slid open and in came the brunette, wearing a pair of jeans, a black silky, strapped tight top with a button up black top over it. She wore white trainers (or sneakers if you're American) with a complicated design on the outer side of the shoes. She had her straight, brown hair down so it reached the small of her back. As she faced the class, she smiled a bright smile that had some of the girls smiling back, the others scowling at having more competition for their crushes attention, and most of the boys blushing with hearts in their eyes.

"Everyone, this is Mikan Sakura. She has just transferred into this Academy, so I hope you'll all be nice to her and help her if she needs it. Are there any questions?"

Nearly every hand in the room shot up. Narumi sweat-dropped, _'Looks like she's already rather popular then huh?'_

"Shoda-san," He asked, referring to the green haired girl with the whiskers.

"What's her star rank?" She asked in a rather snooty voice. _'Snob'_ Mikan thought as she turned her attention to the said girl.

"Well, her Alice is rather rare, so we decided to make her a two star, seeing as she can control it quite well. Mochu, your question is?"

"What ability class will she be in?"

"Well, because of the rarity, that was difficult to come up with, but the teachers and myself thought it would be safe for Mikan to go into the special ability class as it doesn't fit in neither Technical, Latent or Somatic type classes and at the present time, her Alice isn't considered dangerous, any more questions? Yuu-kun, how about you?"

"What's her Alice?" A boy with blond hair, wearing glasses asked as he blushed when the girl directed her attention to him.

"That, I think, she can tell you all herself. Mikan, if you please?" All the students leaned in, wanting to hear what her voice sounded like. The whole way through the explanation, she hadn't said a word.

"Nullification," the sweetest voice in the history of the universe reached their ears. She had said it with such a slight, sweet smile that even the people who had started the week with a scowl had to smile back.

"What a stupid Alice," someone at the back of the class grunted. Everyone turned their attention from the brunette to the boy with the raven hair. He had, by now, removed the book from his face, revealing luscious, ruby red eyes staring at her intently. Mikan was slightly unnerved by the glare. What did this guy have against her? She didn't even know him for God's sake! She titled her head, affecting curiosity. She decided she was going to hide her anger today. She doesn't want her classmates thinking she was some kind of immature brat. Maybe all those years with the spawn of the devil paid off after all. She became incredibly good at hiding her feelings with different emotions.

"Excuse me, but do you mind refraining from being so mean? It's rather… impolite when you're meeting someone for the first time." She saw the look of horror on the whole class' faces. What did she say? That was the politest way of saying 'shut up' she could possibly think of.

His glare hardened.

"How DARE you speak that way to Natsume-sama?!?" Shouted the green haired girl who was staring at the red eyed teen a while ago, "As the President of the Natsume-Ruka Fan Club, I'll make you pay!" And suddenly, she bolted up from behind her desk and started toward the girl in front of the class, her nails turning into deadly sharp claws. The brunette seems unaffected by the approaching cat/dog girl.

All of a sudden, when the permed haired girl was only a few feet away, she stopped. Her ears popped back into her head, whiskers disappeared and her claw like nails shrunk back to their original size which, by the way, was still pretty long.

Permy, as Mikan had decided to call her from now on, stood rooted to the ground looking around the room. She looked at every face in the room, looking so ashamed. What had happened to her Alice? She then set her confused eyes on Mikan. What was her Alice again? Nu-something.

"As I stated earlier, my Alice is Nullification which, if you bothered to look the word up in the dictionary, means I can cancel out any Alice. So I suggest if you're going to try and hurt me, you do it without the use of your 'special ability'. Take your best shot." Mikan said quietly enough for no-one but Permy to hear her. Shoda-san, as Narumi-sensei had called her, looked shocked at first. Then slowly, that shock turned into anger. She went running toward Mikan in her normal form now. Once she got close enough, she pulled back her hand and brought it down on the aforementioned girl's right cheek. Every pair of eyes in the class widened. Even Narumi-sensei's! No-one was expecting that. Mikan brought her left hand up and touched the same cheek that was brutally attacked twice over the past two days. Then, all of a sudden, there came the clicking of a loaded gun and the sound of firing.

**BAKA! BAKA! BAKA!**

The three shots fired from the middle row made contact with the curly-haired head of Permy and sent her face first into the ground. Eyes darted to the source of the shots, only to widen to the size of saucers once they realised who the firer was. A girl with short black hair and lavender eyes was gazing fiercely at Shoda-sans back.

"Imai, what'd you do that for?!" Permy shouted as she got back up on her feet in a flash.

"Don't you dare even think of hurting a single hair on the head of that idiot. You do, and face the wrath of my new and improved Baka gun." The purple eyed girl hissed out venomously as she glared daggers into the cat/dog girl. If looks could kill, Shoda would be rolling on the floor dead by now.

"There was no need to get so aggressive Ho-chan, that was a pathetic excuse for a slap anyway. That girl has no upper body strength what-so-ever." Everyone gasped. Two reasons for that.

One, the ever so stoic Hotaru Imai was actually **angry**. Why was that so shocking? Over the past five years, she had never shown **ANY** emotion **at all**! Not even a hint of an emotion. And now, all of a sudden, she was freely showing pure hatred towards one of the most popular girls in the Academy? That was just too weird.

And two, the new girl called Shoda-san **weak**. The last girl to call her that ended up with her head shoved down a school toilet and her inner most secrets spilled to the entire school. The poor girl ended up transferring to another one of the Alice Academy's in a different country. What was Sumire planning on doing to this poor, unsuspecting girl?

"What did you just say newbie?!"

"Are you deaf too? I said you have no upper body strength what-so-ever. It means you're weak." Mikan stated simply. Permy stood there, jaw on the floor, eyes wide, shocked. _'That's it! This girl needs an attitude adjustment'_ she thought as she took aim for another slap. As she brought her hand down for the second time, this time aiming for Mikan's left cheek; the said girl grabbed her wrist and bent her arm, locking it in place at her back. The whole class was shocked at the speed she went at, even Hotaru. She had never seen her best friend act this way. Back in the old days, Mikan was a fun and bubbly little girl. Now… now she seemed slightly cold and indifferent towards pain. What had her best friend been through while she was away?

Mikan leaned in, positioning her mouth a few centimetres away from Permy's ear, and whispered quietly, "I told you, no upper body strength. If you plan on humiliating me, make sure you have the grounds to back up that big mouth of yours." She let go of the arm that was clutched tightly in her hand and turned to Narumi, who had been silently observing the scenes that had been taking place as he leaned on a window sill near-by. "Narumi-sensei, where is my seat?"

The said man stood up straight, cleared his throat and said loudly for all to hear "You can sit over there Mi-chan. I have to leave you all now so… Ja."

As Narumi was about to leave the room, someone shouted, "Wait Naru! Who'll be her partner?" Narumi came back in the room and looked around the class.

"Who would like to volunteer to be Sakura-san's partner?" Nearly every hand in the classroom shot up, most of them belonging to the male portion of the class.

"Hmm… let's see. How about… Natsume," everyone gasped.

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**They seem to do a lot of that, ne? Anyways, I decided to put the prologue into three chapters instead of my original two (which started out as one anyway). The main reason for this… Mikan need to be introduced to all the characters does she not? I want to take my time to introduce everyone. Don't worry all, I'm sure it'll only take another chapter. **

**Thanks to all the awesome people who reviewed the first chapter:**

**My Hopeless Romantic (YEAH! I'm so glad you liked my first chapter. Hope you like the future ones just as much xP)**

**SarcasticJoy**

**Mangaluver123**

**Hide then Seek (Thanks for the suggestions and help on improving my writing :D)**

**IAmTheBattleMadien**

**Angel**

**THANK YOU!!!!! **

**Again, sorry for making the prologue sooo long T.T**

**Seeee ya when I see ya **

**-Kiera-**


	3. Prologue Part 3

**So sorry for taking so long to update! Writers block and being bombarded by new ideas of stories and taking on too much work has taken effect. Oh, and if you like this story then please read my other story that I just started,**'The Price of Loving Another'. **Thank you **

* * *

**Story: From her past, she runs.**

**Authoress: SpringFairy14**

**Chapter 3: Prologue – Part 2**

**This one is dedicated to all my friends in the Xiaolin Showdown category. I'm sorry I haven't read your updates in over two years T.T**

_How cruel is the golden rule?  
When the lives we lived are only golden-plated  
And I knew that the lights of the city were too heavy for me  
And though I carry karats for everyone to see _

And I saw God cry in the reflection of my enemies  
And all the lovers with no time for me  
And all of the mothers raised their babies  
To stay away from me

- "Golden" by the Fall Out Boy

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**Last time on 'From her past, she runs':**

_As Narumi was about to leave the room, someone shouted. "Wait Naru! Who'll be her partner?" Narumi came back in the room and looked around the class._

"_Who would like to volunteer to be Sakura-san's partner?" Nearly every hand in the classroom shot up, most of them belonging to the male portion of the class._

"_Hmm… let's see, how about… Natsume," everyone gasped._

**Let the story…. Continue **

"Adieu!" And off Narumi went before anyone could protest.

"WHAT!" Screamed the poor brunette, "Why do I have to be partnered with the playboy pervert!"

Everyone raised their eyebrows, even Natsume. Why would she call him a playboy? Mikan, sensing the confusion the class was feeling, explained. "Well, lots of girls seem to be in love with him, hence the use of 'playboy'. And have you _seen_ the title of his manga? If that doesn't scream 'pervert' I don't know what does."

Every single pair of eyes swivelled to the back row, staring straight at the newly dubbed 'playboy pervert' of Alice Academy, and tried to catch a glimpse of the name of the book he was holding. However, once the girl had mentioned the title of his beloved book, he had hurriedly covered the name with his fingers and lowered the book a few inches so the cover image was out of eye sight. Hmmm… very suspicious.

If anyone had bothered to pay attention to two conniving members of the female gender, they would have run for the hills screaming for their mommies. Mikan had a smug smirk on her face where as Hotaru had her usual cold, expressionless face but, if you looked close enough, you could make out a gleam in her eyes that could only mean one simple thing… money. She got her camera and video tape out and started taping the scene in front of her as well as taking pictures of the now strawberry red Natsume.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, little girl. You must be blind."

Mikan's smirk did not falter. In fact, it might have even grown a bit. 

"That's what a pervert would say" she stated defiantly.

Not for the first time that day, the class were stunned stupid. Nobody, in the history of Alice Academy, _ever_ treated Natsume Hyuuga in that way. It just wasn't done. Unless of course, the offender in question wanted to be burned alive. 

Poor Mikan-chan. She was here less then half an hour and already, she was gonna die. Natsume had his trademark red flame in his hand and was preparing to throw it at the 'innocent' brunette girl that was still at the front of the class. Everyone was at awe as the watched the Kuro Neko pull back his arm, aim the bright ball of fire and released it. The people inside the room, including the target, watched and followed the path of the flames as it got nearer and nearer to the auburn eyed teen. Once it was only 12 inches away from Mikan, it suddenly… disappeared. 

"How many times do I have to say it? Null-i-fic-a-tion Alice," she said slowly, making sure everyone heard each syllable of the word. Natsume simply growled and glared at her. No one had ever posed a threat to him as much as this girl had. She could completely cancel out his Alice, and he wasn't a big enough jerk to actually _hit_ a girl. This left him in a tight spot. If he couldn't hit her or use his Alice on her, then he'd try and intimidate her with his power of authority.

"Listen here girlie. You may be able to render my Alice useless, but do you even know who I am?" He hissed, most people not even being able to understand him because of the low pitch of his voice. But Mikan, being who she was, was able to make it out, even if she was the furthest one away from him at the time. 

"Oh, I'm fully aware who you are, Natsume Hyuuga, Kuro Neko of the Black Ops. The sensei's warned me about you," Mikan started, with a smaller smirk on her beautiful face. "'_Don't annoy Kuro Neko. He's dangerous and best left to himself'_. But ya know? I don't think you're that scary. You're just a poor, miss-guided, pervert with no purpose. Playing with sluts feelings, if they have any and trying to fill that empty spot in your heart that seems to grow and grow and grow until you're completely swallowed by the darkness… No, you're not that scary at all. In fact, I'd say you're pretty vulnerable." She continued, finishing in a barely audible whisper. 

The whole room was deadly silent. There were a lot of things people never did to Natsume Hyuuga, and in a mere 45 minutes, one new girl had cut the 'Thing's people have never said or done to Natsume Hyuuga' in half and nearly destroyed his reputation. _Nearly_. The poor lad to whom she is giving this very unwelcome attention to was stunned, but hid it well. The whole way through the speech, he wasn't affected at all by what she was saying. That was until she mentioned the darkness. How did she know he felt that way? The only person he had ever described his feeling toward his missions and his life was his best friend Ruka Nogi, and Natsume was pretty sure that Ruka didn't know this smartass little girl. They had been best friends since diaper years after all.

Deciding to save further embarrassment, Natsume decided to get up and leave. Not of course, before giving out his infamous glare to the newbie. She, however, didn't seem to be affected in anyway. She was either too dense to notice his glaring eyes, or she didn't give a damn. Based of her behaviour for the past 55 minutes, he made an educated guess that it was the latter. 

"Come on Ruka, I can't be bothered to argue with an idiot anymore."

"Never argue with an idiot, for they bring you down to their level, the idiot level, and beat you with experience." Mikan quoted with her fingers in a 'peace' sign as she winked at the class with her tongue sticking out from between her teeth.

The class was officially scared now. One minute, she was calm, cool and collected, then she was bad ass, then she was serious and now, to top it all off, she was cute and bubbly. How many different personalities can one girl have? Once Natsume and Ruka had left, the bell rang, signalling that second lesson had begun. The rest of the day went relatively quietly. No major disturbances, except for when Mikan fell asleep in Maths class. They had Jinno-sensei for math, and he doesn't tolerate and 'rebellious' acts and apparently, drooling all over your text book and taking a trip to dream world were classed as 'rebellious', all according to Jin-jin. Mikan's punishment, seeing as electrocuting her wasn't an option, was to clean the canteen after school. Not too bad right? Wrong. Apparently, the school was big on the whole 'big' thing, as our poor little sakura petal had found out at lunch. 

'_I have to clean __**this**__ all by myself!'_

(Just imagine the canteen. I can't be bothered to describe it. It's like you're typical American style canteen only 5 times as big alright?)

As Mikan was stood a little in the door way so as not to be in anyone's way she felt someone tap her shoulder, making her jump nearly three inches in the air.

"I'm sorry! Did we frighten you? We didn't mean to sneak up on you like that. We were just wondering if you would like to join us with our friends for lunch. You are new after all. So what do you say? Wanna sit with us?" Two girls, one with sugary pink, curly hair and the other with deadly straight dark blue hair, spoke in unison as they gestured towards a table nearest to a window overlooking the wonderful school grounds. She looked at the occupants of the table and instantly recognised her best friend in the world, Hotaru, who was sitting next to a boy with blond hair and glasses framing his stunning brown eyes. Across from him was another boy with dirty blond hair and wonderful, deep chocolate brown eyes that seemed to be dancing with amusement as he stared at a couple a few tables away from their table that were gazing lovingly at each other. Weird kid. 

Next to the weird boy was someone who looked like his identical twin. Technically, he wasn't sitting next to his twin; he was _floating_ next to him. Yep, you heard right, floating. He didn't seem that bothered with his food, which happened to be a crime as far as Mikan was concerned. He seemed more interested in what the boy next to him was mumbling. Wonder what he had to say? On the other side of Hotaru was the perm haired cat/dog girl from earlier. So, she was part of the group Hotaru hung out with? Interesting how she managed to put up with her. 

Mikan heard a cough coming from behind her. She turned back to the two girls in front of her. 

"So? Do you want to sit with us?" The one with pink hair asked again.

"Sure, why not? You seem to know Hotaru and if Hotaru is prepared to hang out with you then you can't be all that bad." She replied with a brilliant smile that dazzled the two girls. 

"Great!" They both smiled back as they each grabbed a wrist and hauled her to the table. 

"Hey guys! Look who decided to join us," everyone at the table turned their heads toward their two friends and there were mixed reactions shown in all their faces. The two twin boys and the blond boy had friendly smiles, Permy had horror with slight fear and a hint of anger written clearly from forehead to chin and Hotaru had her usual stoic face but anyone who knows her better then others, you'd notice her usually cold eyes were replaced with a friendlier warm glow. All in all, they seemed happy on a new friend, excluding perm head.

"Nice seeing you again Ho-chan." Mikan said with a pleasant smile on her face.

"Nice seeing you to idiot. How's Seji-kun?" (1)

Mikan's twitch went unnoticed by everyone, "Oh, he's fine. He was really busy with his parents company the last time I saw him."

"He'll cope. He's Seji after all," replied Hotaru in her in indifferent voice. 

"Yeah, that's right, it's Seji."

Silence. Silence ruled for the next few moments.

"I'm sorry, how rude of me. I never did properly introduce myself in the classroom did I? Well, my names Mikan, but you already know that. I used to live in the same village as Hotaru when we were little. Me, Ho-chan and Seji were all really close. You'd never see any of us by ourselves. Well, Hotaru-chan had to leave us when she was 10 and that's basically how I know her."

"Hey Sakura-san. My name is Yuu Tobita, I'm the class president." Said the boy with the glasses

"Anna." Introduced the girl with the sugary pink curls

"Sumire," Permy simply stated.

"My names Kokoryomi, but you can just call me Koko and his name is Kitsuneme," said the boy with the dirty blond hair as he pointed to his twin like friend.

"And my name's Nonoko, nice to meet you," smiled the blue haired girl from earlier. 

"It's nice to meet you all to. I think I'm gonna like it here," replied Mikan as she thought, '_Yes, I am going to like it here. A new school, a new start and a new life. Just forget everything that happened in the past. Only look toward the future. Be strong Mi-chan, be strong and smile.'_

* * *

**1- Remember, Hotaru doesn't know what happened between Mikan and Seji and she went away to AA before Mikan got together with him so she doesn't know that he used to hit her.**

**Alright, am I the only one that thinks this is a suck-ish end to the prologue chapters? Yes? No? Tell me in a review then! I know there was grammar mistakes, probably some spelling mistakes as well, but please excuse them because I wanted to update this before I left for a wedding this weekend. **

**WOO! I am officially on Easter Holiday! –does celebratory dance- I'm so happy: D**

**Can I also mention that, while I was writing the final part of this chapter I was in immense pain. If you're a girl going through puberty then you know what I'm going through. If you're a girl and you're not going through puberty yet then HA! One day you're gonna regret being born a girl. **

**Shit (hey! T rated, I can swear if I wanna) I have got such a stiff back. I'm gonna stop typing and upload now. I'll start work on the next chapter while I'm on my way to the hotel and after I planned chapter 5 (hey, gotta stay one step ahead right?)**

**Thanks for reading! Please review! Much appreciated **

**Also, thank you to all the people who reviewed the last chapter;**

**Mangalover128**

**xmiku**

**-KuroTenshi11-**

**Iceprincess008**

**mookiee**

**oO0OoyummyflakesoO0Oo**

**CrAzikEl911**

**dominiqueanne**

**IAmTheBattleMaiden**

**kaye2bu**

**XxblackwingsxX**

**Thank you all sooo much! I hope you like the next chapter. This is where I start getting into it. I hate having to start stories --' They take too long to get into the real plot. **

**Love you all,**

**Kieraxx**


	4. The day it fell apart

Story: From her past, she runs

Okay, for everyone's information, Mikan, Hotaru, Ruka, Koko, Kitsuneme, Anna, Yuu, Nonoko and Sumire are all three stars with Natsume as the Special Star of the group ;)

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**Story: From her past, she runs  
Authoress: SpringFairy15  
Dedications: To all of my lovely reviewers who have read thus far. I thank you all  
Chapter: The day it fell apart…**

_You look so innocent  
but the guilt in your voice gives you away  
Yeah you know what I mean  
how does it feel when you kiss when you know that I trust you  
and do you think about me when he fucks you?  
Could you be more obscene?_

So don't try to say you're sorry  
or try to make it right  
don't waste your breath because it's too late, it's too late.

You can tell me that there's nobody else  
(But I feel it)  
You can tell me that you're home by yourself  
(But I see it)  
You can look into my eyes and pretend all you want  
But I know, I know,  
Your love is just a lie  
(Lie)  
It's nothing but a lie  
(Lie)  
You're nothing but a lie

-"Your love is lie" by Simple Plan (Waah!! I love this song!!)

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**Recap (even though it's not really needed xD)**

"Hey Sakura-san, my name is Yuu Tobita, I'm the class president." Said the boy with the glasses

"Anna." Introduced the girl with the sugary pink curls

"Sumire," Permy simply stated.

"My names Kokoryomi, but you can just call me Koko and his name is Kitsuneme," said the boy with the dirty blond hair as he pointed to his twin like friend.

"And my name's Nonoko, nice to meet you," smiled the blue haired girl from earlier.

"It's nice to meet you all to. I think I'm gonna like it here," replied Mikan as she thought, '_Yes, I am going to like it here. A new school, a new start and a new life. Just forget everything that happened in the past. Only look toward the future. Be strong Mi-chan, be strong and smile.'_

**End of recap. Now… read on fellow fanfiction-er!! ;)**

It had been two years since that day. The day Mikan came into the lives of those in the academy. Two years since Mikan had run away from a past she thought she'd never escape. But Mikan will learn one of the best known facts of life. The past eventually catches up with you. But what will happen, when this part of the bubbly brunette's life comes to her sanctuary? Only time will tell…

Knock! Knock! Knock!

…..

Knock! Knock! Knock!

…..

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

…..

Click!

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1…"

**BAKA! BAKA! BAKA! BAKA! BAKA!**

The poor mahogany door never stood a chance. As soon as the first shot of the incredibly infamous gun of a certain raven-haired genius was fired, the door was thrown off its hinges and propelled three feet away, whereas the proceeding four shots flew directly towards their target, the bed. To be more specific, the lump, also known as Mikan Sakura, in the bed.

**BAM! CRASH! KA-POW! THA-DUMP!**

Thud…

"HO-TA-RUUU!! YOU MEANIE!! You still haven't changed in the last two years! Couldn't you at least _try_ to wake me up gently for once?" Screeched

"I did try to wake you up gently before. It was your second day here in the Academy. This proves to be the most effective way to get your idiotic lump out of bed." Was the monotonous voice of her best friend, as she went toward the curtains to open them to the bright and beautiful day that lay ahead, "You do realise we're going to be late going to central town to meet the others right?" She added as an after thought.

"Oh shi-zzle, you're right! Oh, what am I going to wear, what am I going to wear?!" And the worried brunette got up off the floor and started running around in her pyjamas as she looked for suitable clothes to wear. Finally, after choosing the right outfit, she ran into the bathroom and started her daily routine. A quick five minute shower, two minutes spent brushing her teeth and washing her face and lightly applying make-up, only having light blush, eyeliner and mascara on, taking only three minutes to put on. She then changed and stepped out of the bathroom door.

As she did, Hotaru looked at her with satisfaction. She had to admit, Mikan had a good sense of fashion. She wore a pair of white skinny jeans, white trainers **(1)**, a gray top and a very light green, almost yellow, top over that. She had a big cross with intricate patterns and jewels. There was a mother of pearl at each end of the cross, two diamonds going down towards the bottom and four white diamonds enclosing a diamond that reflected all the colours of the rainbow. Her hair was tied up, with only part of her side fringe let down, falling over her right eye. All in all, the bright colours of her outfit suited and complimented her personality to perfection.

"Oh Hotaru, you look absolutely stunning!!" Mikan commented, as she completely forgot what happened ten to twelve minutes ago. She was never one to hold a grudge anyway, especially if it involved her best friend.

Hotaru was wearing a plain white top with purple lettering saying "Some say Boys are better then Girls…" on the front and "… those people are idiots." on the back. She had a short, black skirt with purple going along the hem with purple and black stripped leggings and black ballet flats on. She wore a pair of diamond earrings that Mikan got her for her last birthday and a silver necklace with the letter 'H' encrusted with unique purple amethyst. She also had five bracelets on her left arm, two silver and 3 black.

"Thanks, idiot, you don't look too bad yourself. I guess even baka's like you can put something decent together every now and again." Hotaru half insulted, half complimented. She hadn't changed over the past two years really. She had softened up just that ever so slightly, but most of the time it wasn't even recognisable because of the fact that most of the time she was hiding her emotions. She'd gotten too used to that from the past five years before Mikan came to the AA.

"Come on Ho-chan, let's go! The others must be getting impatient by now," and without further a due, she grabbed the hand of the innovator Alice user and started running out the room and down the halls, inventor in tow.

After ten minutes of solid running, plus another three because of Hotaru's reluctance to being dragged around the academy and then another two because of the amount of times Mikan ran into a door frame or tripped over thin air, they reached the bus shelter and found that everybody was already there. They'd all paired up, seeing as some of the guys from their group had decided that it was time to find a true girlfriend instead of being the players they once were. Not all at once of course.

Yuu and Nonoko had been the first to get their feeling out in the open. They'd been dating for about a year and a half now. After extensive talks with Mikan, Yuu had finally gathered enough courage to ask Nonoko out. Funny story that actually, but that's for another time and another place.

Koko, after being spurred on by the success of Yuu, had asked Anna to be his girlfriend which she had said yes to once she realised he had the Alice limiter she'd requested for him after hearing about the sever headaches he was getting because of mind reading. She'd secretly given it to him for his last birthday. They had been going out for just under a year now.

The most recent, and most shocking, couple in the gang had been Kitsuneme and Sumire. About three months ago, Kitsuneme had come up to the gang while they were under the sakura tree like usual, with this big grin on his face. Whenever someone had asked him what was up, he would just chuckle and say "All will be revealed in due time my good friend" and leave it at that. A half hour later, Sumire turned up in one of the best outfits they'd ever seen her in. Kitsuneme got up, walked over to her and, at this point everyone nearly died of a heart attack, kissed her. But the fact that he'd kissed her wasn't the scariest thing. Oh no. What was, I hear you ask? It was the fact that Sumire was _**kissing. Him. Back!!**_ Yes, dear reader, Sumire Shoda. President of the Natsume/Ruka fan club, a fan club dedicated to the two best looking, single men on the planet, was kissing Kitsuneme. What a day that was.

As Mikan looked at everyone at the bus shelters, she couldn't help but smile. She loved the fact that they'd kept the dating in the group. She didn't have anything against the girls or the guys having a partner outside of their inner circle of friends, it's just she trusted the guys with the girls. She knew that they'd never want to purposely hurt each other. They'd been through so much together in those past two years.

Two months after arriving at the academy, a teacher had been revealed as a spy of the AAO. It shocked her. She'd felt so close to that teacher. Torino-sensei had been like an older brother for Mikan. Whenever Hotaru, Tsubasa-senpai, Misaki-senpai or Narumi-sensei was busy, she'd go to him for comfort when she was feeling down in the dumps. When she'd heared about his betrayal, she ran to his office to find him, to make him tell her it wasn't true. She didn't even make it to his room, when she bumped into him and he tried to kidnap her, but Hotaru and Ruka were running past at the time and had delayed their departure enough to give Natsume and the others time to get there and by then Torino and his men were out numbered and eventually defeated.

Four months after Yuu and Nonoko got together, they'd had a huge argument. Something about how Yuu was being too nice and Nonoko was being too demanding. Anyway, they didn't speak to each other for months on end and then, after having enough of the cold shoulder treatment from her boyfriend and guilt trips from her friends, Nonoko apologised, only to find out Yuu had been planning a candle lit dinner in the Southern Forest as a way of apologising to her. Apparently the cold shoulder treatment she'd been giving him and the guilt trips his friends had been making him go on had had a similar effect to hers.

Two months after Koko and Anna had gotten together, another kidnap attempt had been made except this one had been to kidnap all five of the girls. Apparently their Alices were of use the AAO in some shape or form. Anna was going to be used as the cook, Nonoko was going to be a researcher, Hotaru was going to be used to have new and improved fire arms for the men and woman of the AAO, Sumire was going to be used for when fire arms weren't enough and Mikan was going to be used as the defence by nullifying the enemies Alices when the AAO decided to attack somewhere.

The guys didn't like the thought of their girls being used like disposable cameras so they'd created a rescue plan. Let's put it this way. By the next day the girls were safe and sound and tucked up in bed whilst the AAO members involved in their kidnap were in excruciating pain, lying in some far off dessert praying that the vultures had just eaten and weren't looking for a snack.

And finally, a month after Sumire and Kitsuneme had gotten together, Natsume, Ruka, Mikan, Hotaru, Anna, Nonoko, Yuu and Koko had a fight and a pretty bad one at that. It started off with Mikan being burned by Natsume after she was yelling at him for looking at her underwear for the billionth time that week. Then Ruka got involved, trying to calm down the bickering before it got out of hand. Natsume had then turned around and said that the only reason Ruka was getting involved was because he had a crush on Mikan. Hotaru, after getting so pissed off with all the noise the three of them were creating, got out her Baka Cannon and started shooting them each five times. Mikan and Ruka got hit and were sent flying across the room whereas Natsume had dodged ever single bullet. Yuu then came over and started saying things about how Hotaru should stop hitting people with the Baka Cannon because it wasn't good for their health. Then Hotaru started arguing with Yuu saying he had no right to tell her what she can and can't do.

Nonoko then got involved, saying that Hotaru had no right to have a go at Yuu when all he was doing was worrying about his friends and that Hotaru should lighten up because she was always dull and mean. That's when Anna stepped in and started defending Hotaru by saying that she had gotten a lot better ever since Mikan came and that she was a good friend, she just showed it in different ways. Then Yuu said that the argument had nothing to do with her and to butt out. Then it was Koko's turn to defend Anna. He told Yuu to leave his girlfriend alone because he had no right to speak to her like that. He said that she was just defending a friend in need and stated the fact that Nonoko didn't have any right to butt into the argument either. In the end, it ended up Natsume wasn't speaking to Ruka or Mikan. Ruka wasn't speaking to Natsume or Hotaru and was too embarrassed to talk to Mikan. Mikan wasn't talking to Natsume or Hotaru and Ruka had been avoiding her so she couldn't talk to him. Hotaru wasn't speaking to Mikan, Ruka, Natsume (no change there), Yuu or Nonoko. Yuu wasn't talking to Hotaru, Anna or Koko. Nonoko wasn't speaking to Hotaru, Anna or Koko. Anna wasn't talking to Yuu or Nonoko and Koko wasn't speaking to Yuu or Nonoko either.

Poor Kitsuneme and Sumire, they had to run around delivering messages to the ones that weren't speaking to each other. After a month of this, they suddenly forgot what had happened and were the best of friends again. Apparently, someone had spiked their drinks with some sort of drug that changes the mood of the person taking it as a prank and because they had been jealous because of the fact that they were so close. It's lucky Mikan possessed the Nullification Alice, or else the poor student would have been burned, mauled by animals, embarrassed beyond belief, forever confused because of things he thought had happened but in fact hadn't, have his clothes forever disappearing and then reappearing on the roof whenever he took a shower, mauled by a mysterious creature whenever he was out in the dark alone, poisoned (not seriously though. Just enough so they'd be unbelievably ill) and then, as an added bonus, he would have been bludgeoned to death by the Super Deluxe Baka Cannon Version 2.0.

Yes, it was incredibly lucky for that poor boy that Mikan had the Nullification Alice as well as a kind, forgiving heart. But, he was unlucky enough to mess with someone who was superbly excellent at taking revenge. The next day, he had been unlucky enough to find out every single female in the school thought he was gay and to this day had homosexuals hitting on him.

"Hey Mikan, you there?" Anna asked with obvious concern in her voice as she waved a hand in front of her brunette haired friend who had been spacing out for the past three minutes, "The bus is here. Hurry up or you're gonna be left behind like last time!" And she ran up into the bus, smiling and laughing like there was no tomorrow. Mikan ran in after her.

Everyone sat in their pairs. Yuu and Nonoko were at the front of the bus with Anna and Koko sitting on the other side of the bus. Hotaru was behind Anna and Koko with a seat ready for Mikan, although she'd never admit she was saving it. Behind Yuu and Nonoko were Sumire and Kitsuneme. Right at the back of the bus was Natsume and Ruka, making out with some random girls they just found sitting there no doubt. Unlike Yuu, Koko and Kitsuneme, they didn't appear to be ready to settle with one girl just yet. They'd had a series of kind-of-sort-of-not-really girlfriends since they hit sixteen and had been changing girls every week for the past year. They were slowly working through their fan-club, which Sumire had handed to the vice-president. It saddened Mikan to know that they were simply using those girls for entertainment until they got to Central Town, but then she brightened up once she remembered that they were just going to fall in love with Natsume and Ruka even more and brag about being good enough for them being the sad, demented girls they are. They were giving females a bad name. They deserved the heartache that was inevitable.

"So, what do you want to do when we get to Central Town Hotaru?" Mikan inquired.

"Idiot. We're doing what we usually do. We're all going to 'La porte ouverte' for lunch, then we're splitting up with the you me and the girls going shopping for what we want and the guys doing what they usually do when we split up. Then we're all going to meet up at four and spend sometime under the Sakura tree in the park and then we're going to head back to the Academy at five so we can get ready for dinner. Don't tell me you forgot the routine? We've been doing this for the past two years dummy."

"I didn't forget! I was just wondering if we were having a change of plans is all! Honest!" Mikan defended.

"Sure you were," Anna and Nonoko said in unison as everyone else started laughing. Mikan started to blush from embarrassment and Ruka and Natsume came and sat in the seats behind Mikan and Hotaru.

"What're you all laughing about?" Ruka inquired, noticing everyone, minus his personal blackmailer and a beet-root red Mikan Sakura, laughing their hearts out.

"Nothing of any importance, Mikan just forgot about the usual routine… _again_." Hotaru answered in her infamous monotonous tone of voice.

Natsume raised an eyebrow at Mikan and smirked. "Again, Polka-dots? You know, you seriously need to work on your memory skills."

"Shut up you pervert!! As if you have anything to do with this," Mikan pouted. "Besides, isn't your little girlfriend getting lonely over there, all by herself?"

"Why? You jealous, little girl? I knew you had feeling for me, but I never knew you were this confident that I'd return those feelings," he replied, his smirk widening.

"Oh please, you wish I was jealo-"

"We're here." Sumire cut in before the argument between the two gave her a headache.

Mikan turned round and looked at her friends getting up and going out of the bus doors. As the last person stepped off the bus, she realised if she didn't get off now then she was going to be sent back to the Academy and she knew that Hotaru wouldn't let the others wait for her to get back so she ran full speed off the bus.

"Hey! Wait up guys!!" Mikan panted, as she ran to catch up with the others.

"Hurry up slowpoke." Hotaru said as she walked in front of the gang, heading in the familiar direction of their favourite café-come-restaurant.

"Well if it isn't my favourite customers! Have I ever told you how much good you do my business?" asked a young-ish man with blond hair and blue eyes. He could have been the older version of Ruka, except his eyes had a twinge of green in them, and the colours were much, much darker.

"Only every time we decide to drop by Antonio," replied Anna.

"Ahh, it gives me great pleasure to see such beauties and their partners frequent my humble restaurant. You young men will do well to keep them, or I might have to steal them away from you."

"Oh Ant, you are too sweet." Mikan blushed, as she made her way over to their usual table, closely followed by Hotaru, then Natsume and Ruka, and then the couples.

They new it was a joke, but the guys tightened their grip on their girlfriends' waists and pulled them closer towards them. Sumire glared, Anna squeaked and Nonoko smiled at their respective boyfriends.

They got to the table, which was always free because if you chose to sit in that spot at the wrong time you risk being burned, eaten alive by animals, poisoned, and so on. Once they sat down, they ordered their food and got chatting. Well, the girls got chatting while the guys just sat back and listened to the girls gossiping. Half way through their meal, a group of five guys came over.

"Hey there cutie," the one that appeared to be the leader started as he winked towards Mikan. "Why don't you and your friends ditch these losers and hang out with some _real_ men."

"Yeah, come on sweetheart, we know you want us. We can show you a fun time, if you know what I mean." Another guy added as he placed an arm around Hotaru.

"Who are you calling loser-" Kitsuneme stopped as he saw the glint in Mikan's eyes as she smirked at the other girls. She got up and headed towards the one that winked at her earlier and leaned towards him as she whispered huskily, "You promise to show me and my friends a fun time?"

"I'm a man of my word, sugar."

"Come on girls. Let's 'ditch' these guys. I was getting bored anyways." She said brightly as she turned back to her friends. At first, the girls had a confused look on their faces but once they got what Mikan was implying, the all stood up from their seats and headed towards the door. As Mikan went to close the door behind everyone, she raised her hand at the guys to signal they'll be back in three minutes.

"Koko, start the stopwatch."

"Already started it," Koko mumbled at he munched on what was left of his meal.

**……… 2 minutes and 59 seconds later…………**

"Hahaha!! Did you hear him screaming like a girl? Man, its times like these that make me so glad I was born a girl." the shrill voice of Sumire was heard as they all stepped back into the restaurant/café.

"MAN! That must have been painful. Remind me never to get on the bad side of those girls okay guys?" Koko pleaded, as he grimaced from the thoughts of the girls who had currently re-seated themselves.

"I don't wanna know." Kitsuneme muttered as he stared at his girlfriend, who was currently finishing off her meal.

"Come on guys! If we're finished here, why don't we go shopping??" Anna joyfully suggested as she noticed most of the girls had finished their food.

The girls got up, kissed their partners on the check (excluding Mikan and Hotaru of course) and headed out the door with their boyfriends credit cards in hand after sneaking it out their pockets during the kisses.

**After four hours of shopping**

"Hey guys! Do you think it's about time we start heading back to the guys?" Nonoko suggested as she finished paying for a pair of blue strapless wedged heels.

"Yeah, you're right. Last one to the Sakura tree pays for the bus ride home." Mikan shouted as she ran ahead of everyone else.

"That's not fair!" Anna shouted after the brunette, but she ran after the girl none-the-less, a huge grin obvious as she sprinted past the leader, taking first prize for her self.

As the girls got to the aforementioned tree, they spotted the guys on the opposite side. Skidding to a halt, their joyous smiles turning into nervous ones, they slowly approached their partners, heads bent low. Yuu had an exasperated expression on his beautiful face, his hand out stretched. Koko was in a similar position only he had an amused look on his face at having been out smarted by his girlfriend… again. And Kitsuneme… well, he wasn't even bothered too much. He just casually asked Sumire for his card back.

"I don't know why you guys put up with them." Natsume muttered, shaking his head from side to side in disbelief and still keeping the emotionless look on his face. A little boy with silvery white hair and emerald green eyes sat in his lap.

"Hey Ichi-kun," Mikan smiled at the boy. The child simply looked at her as everyone else had a confused expression on their faces. Mikan, noticing the quizzical looks she was receiving, answered "Well, we have Yuu-kun and if I call Youichi You-kun, people might get confused." It seemed fair enough reason.

"So, Hotaru-san, Mikan-chan, mind if I ask two simple questions?" Sumire asked.

"Sure!" was Mikan's response.

"If you must," guess whose emotionless reply _that_ was.

"When are you planning on getting a boyfriend and who are you hoping it'll be?"

Mikan chocked on the Fanta she had just taken a sip of and Hotaru just looked at Sumire, but you could almost feel the shock radiating off of her. They were _not_ expecting _this_ question. They weren't expecting it at all. Not even the slightest bit.

"Wh-wh-why do you a-ask Su-mire-ch-chan?" Mikan spluttered as she gulped for air. Hotaru was just sitting on the ground, leaning against the Sakura Tree, a can of diet coke in her hands.

"No reason. Just curious really." No one had realised that, once the question had been asked, Mikan and Hotaru weren't the only ones to stiffen from shock. A dark haired flame caster seated on the opposite side of the Sakura Tree and a blue eyed blonde perched on the lowest branch of the aforementioned tree froze, waiting with baited breath on the poor girls answers.

"Tamaki Itzumara," Hotaru answered in her forever infamous monotonous tone that she is endlessly using and, as an after thought, added, "Only because he's rich."

"Fair enough reason," Sumire shrugged," but I want to know who you would like to go out with. Not who you want to marry."

"Mikan, it's your turn!" Anna squealed, literally shaking with anticipation.

As all eyes turned to the brunette, she visibly reddened. She started squirming under the intensity of their gazes and her eyes flickered between her friends faces.

"I don't… really… wanna…"

"Come on! Hotaru didn't seem to have a problem with saying it," Mikan looked from Hotaru to Ruka to Sumire and finally settled her gaze upon Natsume, whom she could only see a little bit of because of the tree blocking her view.

"I guess if I had to choose, it would be… Na…" Everyone's eyes widened in expectation, all hoping she'd say the name they thought she was going to say.

'_Was I about to say Natsume? No way, I'd never wanna go out with that jerk! Commitment isn't even in his vocabulary!_' Mikan took a deep breath before continuing, "If I had to choose someone, it'd have to be…" '_Think Mikan, think! Who else do you know whose name begins with Na…?'_ "…Nabukir Ayame."

As soon as Mikan had uttered that name, everyone's shoulders slumped visibly and muttered a slight curse at the aforementioned mentioned boy. They had all noticed Natsume's fondness for Mikan and the way he chose girls that utterly pissed Mikan off to make out with. They had all suspected that Mikan felt the same way towards Natsume, but just didn't notice it. She was, after all, considered rather slow when it came to emotions. It was as if feeling anything for herself was alien to her and when she'd first come to the Academy, it'd felt like forever before she even started smiling properly.

Suddenly, Natsume got up, turned his face upward towards Ruka and simply looked him in the eye. Ruka sighed in reply, took a side long glance at Hotaru, looked at Mikan disappointedly and jumped off the low branch. Then he headed toward Natsume, who had Youichi on his shoulders by now, and they headed off toward their desired shop.

"What's up with them?" Mikan questioned, completely unaware of the looks of incomprehensible wonder on her friends faces as she stared at the backs of the raven and blonde haired boys disappearing into the crowd. Although Mikan was completely unaware of her feelings towards the flame caster, she wasn't _completely_ stupid. She did have _some_ brain cells, as shocking as it may sound. It was obvious. Ruka had been in love with her best friend ever since before she came to the Academy. But what was up with Natsume, she did not know. Guess only time will tell, huh?

Koko decided to break the slightly tense atmospheric silence, "Hey guys, do you wanna head back to the Academy? It's getting kind of late and it's almost time for dinner."

"Sure why not? I'm getting hungry anyways and I heard there's gonna be a new student tomorrow. Wouldn't wanna be late for class now would I?" Mikan smiled, now completely distracted from Natsume's problems… for the time being.

So, they all got in the next bus to the school, had there dinner soon after arriving and then got themselves ready for bed. In a certain tangerines room, a teenaged girl sat on her window sill, thinking of the past and what her future has in store for her.

"Grandpa, what would you think of the way I've run my life since you've passed away? I've let myself be abused, ran away from my problems, played miss ignorant and tried to forget what it was that made me what I am and now? Now I'm being selfish by refusing to leave my friends when that could put them in danger. Have I really become such a bad person without your guidance? Should I accept the position the Academy had offered me? They say I have another Alice you know? They say it could help them win the war against the AAO, and rid the world of the darkness that's threatening to over power the light. They said that I need to train that Alice before it gets out of control and to do that, I need to leave this academy and go to one in a far off country… but what about what I say? What about my friends… my teachers… my _life_? What should I _do_ Grandpa?" The twinkling of the stars was all the answer our poor little brunette got. She sighed, "I guess this is another problem I've got to think over then, huh?" She raised the glass of water she had in her hand, "Here's to another day that has passed, and to whatever awaits me tomorrow," another sigh. "Well, goodnight, Jii-chan."

**The next day in class 2B**

"Well, good morning class!! I hope you're all fresh and ready to have another fun filled day of learning!" A blonde teacher with startling purple orbs came prancing into the classroom.

"Good morning Narumi-sensei," the class sighed.

Once the said teacher had taken the morning register, and made a note of a Miss Mikan Sakura's tardiness, he called for the classes' attention yet again. Of course this, it being class 2-B after all, was no easy feat. However, once he had gotten his pupils to quiet down, he had his usual gay-ish grin on his face.

"As most of you may have heard, we have a new addition to our wonderful class. Please make him (insert girls squealing with delight and guys groans of disappointment) feel welcome. Now, without further a due, here is Mister Takanashi." In came an outrageously handsome male with a pair of wonderful dark green eyes that you could instantly get lost in and hair that begged you to touch it, yet you feared the slightest touch might mess it up. It was styled in a 'just-got-out-of-bed' look, but managed to look sexy and sophisticated both at the same time. He was one hell of a sexy god. A rival if ever there was one for Natsume Hyuuga and Ruka Nogi. Natsume instantly hated him.

"Good morning to you all. I hope we can all get along nicely." He smiled to the class, but he didn't bow, as was appreciated by class 2-B. This class has a simple rule. Treat them with respect, and they'll treat you with respect. _Dis_respect them, and you'll find yourself in a world of pain. This guy was swinging more to pain them to respect. Well, with the guys he was at least.

Suddenly there were sounds of disgruntled students being crashed into, hurried thumping of high heeled boots, then the skid of someone trying to stop after running full pelt a few meters and then, for the grand finale, the loud, resonating crash of a petite teenaged body thumping against a brick wall. Ouch. Then the said teenaged body came thundering through the door and into the classroom.

"I am **so** sorry Narumi-sensei!! I didn't hear my alarm go off and then Hotaru-chan didn't wake me up like she usually does and then I couldn't find my books and then-" She got cut off by her teacher as he stopped her from bowing apologetically, "Mika, Mikan, Mikan. What are we going to do with you?" Narumi chuckled, "Please take your seat and we'll carry on introducing the new student."

"Long time no see Mi-chan."

* * *

**(1) Okay, I live in sunny ol' Britain, as some of you might have realised after reading my profile, and over here, we call what the Americans refer to as sneakers, trainers. Some people might call them rubber soled shoes as well (although, I don't get why that is) but that is what I've grown up to call them. Case closed.**

**Waah!! I'm gonna stop it there because I covered all I needed for this chapter. I am **_**so**_** sorry for this **very** late chapter. For three weeks straight I had writers block. Do any of you know how frustrating that is?? T.T I feel soooo incompetent :'( And I'm sorry it's pretty lousy. I'm just a bad writer ¬¬ I hope I didn't bore you with catching up with what the gang have been doing for the past 2 years. Can anyone remember how old the characters were?? Well, if not then lets stick with the idea that they're 16. -Sigh- I hope you can all forgive me for OOC-ness. As one reviewer pointed out, Mikan **_**does**_** have multi-personalities. Oh! And I'm so proud of myself for one thing :D the word count for this chapter is about 5483 (if I remember correctly). That's the most I've ever done. Aren't you so proud **

**To starblastz: I'm sorry!! I said I'd put your idea in didn't I?? Well, I deleted the scene because I realised it'd take even longer for me to update and I'm a very impatient writer. I'll fit it in when I can okay? Again, really sorry!! -Bows repeatedly-**

**Oh, and I think it's only right that I tell you all now that I have my exams in just under three weeks so it might be a pretty long while till I update again -- so yeah, sorry again -bows apologetically-**


	5. 24 hours to decide

My Review replies are at the end of the chapter and my reasons for the long wait for the chapter are there to. So.. ya. Enjoy the chapter… even though I don't particularly like it… :(

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**Author: SpringFairy15  
Title: From her past, she runs  
Chapter: Remnants of an abusive past  
Deds: littlemissmex3 because her stories are awesome and she dedicated a chapter to me so I'm returning the favour If you haven't read any of her fics yet I suggest you do so straight after reading (and hopefully reviewing) this chapter lol**

_It's all about power then  
Take control  
Breaking the will  
Breaking the soul  
They suck us dry till there's nothing left  
My oh my, my oh my_

**- "We Are" by Ana Johnsson**

* * *

Mikan was sat under the Sakura Tree, thinking about the things that had happened earlier that day. Memories of the events were still fresh in her mind.

**Flashback**

"_Long time no see, Mi-chan."_

"_Wh-wh-what're you doing here?" Mikan stuttered in response, keeping her voice low so no one could hear the surprise and the slight panic in her voice._

"_What do you think? Looking for you," he whispered back, also aware of the unwanted attention of class 2-B._

"_Oh, Takanashi-san, do you know Sakura-chan?" Asked Narumi-sensei, a little surprised that the new student knew Mikan's nickname._

"_Of course he knows her. Seji's Mikan and mine's friend from Nagoya." Hotaru replied for the two in her all too familiar monotone voice, not even looking up from the book she was currently reading._

"_Ahh, the same as always Ho-chan," Seji smiled, turning the girls in front of him to goo._

"_Well, in that case, I'll assign the two of you to be Takanashi's partners then seeing as you three know each other so well."_

_**Knock! Knock!**_

"_Come in!" Squealed Narumi and he waltzed over to the door and slid it open to find a student looking slightly surprised at the toothy grin that was being displayed on the face of the blond haired homeroom teacher. "Yes, what can I do for you?"_

"_Uhm… is Sakura Mikan here?" The kid asked, looking around to see if he had the right class._

"_Why yes, she is! Sakura-chan!"_

"_Yes sensei?" Mikan asked, after finishing her whispered interrogation with the emerald eyes teen in front of her._

"_The principle wants to see you after the lesson's over. He said to 'go straight to him and not waste any time on mindless chit-chat with your friends'."_

"_Err… okay?"_

"_Mikan-chan, if you want to get it over and done with now, you can go on ahead. Todays lesson's not on anything that's going to be on the end of year exams," Narumi winked._

"_Oh, alright then. Thank you sensei! I'll be as fast as I can okay?"_

_Narumi just laughed at the sheer determination that shone through on the young girls face._

_As Mikan walked out of the classroom, the determination that had been bright as the sun a few seconds ago evaporated and was replaced with fear. '_What does that man want with me now?_' She thought as she walked down the hallway, occasionally looking in through the glass windows on the doors to see a teacher either lecturing a lesson, or yelling at a student for not paying enough attention. _

_After walking the short distance from the building where all the classes were held to the smaller building where the teachers offices were situated, Mikan walked up to the second floor where the principles office was, not before being stopped by an angry Jinno-sensei thinking she was skipping classes and causing chaos. _

_When she reached the door, the brunette stopped and stared at the door, debating whether or not she should just pretend she never got the message. She quickly dismissed that idea as, not only were there witnesses to her leaving the class but, it would also get the poor messenger in trouble to. No, she had to do this. _

_Just as Mikan was about to knock on the door, a muffled voice from behind the door made her freeze._

"_The door is open you know?"_

'How does he do that?_' Mikan thought as she opened the unlocked door and stepped inside the office, shutting and locking the door behind her. _

_The principles office was one of the most extravagantly decorated rooms in the whole school beaten only by the principles sleeping quarters, or so Mikan had heard. There was a large, mahogany desk positioned right in front of a wide window running the width of the room and the curtains were flung right open so the sun was shining through to its true potential. The room was in complete contrast to the personality of the person who used it. The chair behind the mahogany desk was facing towards the window, making Mikan even more curious as to how he had known she was outside the door and had heightened her sense of foreboding with the current meeting that was about to take place. She guessed what this was about._

_Mikan decided to start so she could get this over and done with as soon as possible. "I still haven't decided yet."_

"_You haven't decided whether or not to save a friend from a life of misery? How long do you need? Another week? A month? Just after your friend _dies_?" Well, when he puts it like that… "I'm sorry Ms. Sakura, but I don't see how you could be so hesitant to take up this offer."_

"_I need a few more days to think it over."_

"What's there to think about? You've seen how he's been recently. That'll only get worse the longer you put this decision off."

"_I'm not taking this time to see how _I'd_ feel about this! I'm taking the time to see how _my friends_ would feel about this."_

"_Does what they think really matter? This is _your_ choice to save _your_ friend and what everyone else thinks does not matter."_

_Mikan fell silent at this, deep in thought. It was true. She felt selfish for taking so long to decide whether to help or not. But by choosing to help him, she might end up making things worse. Or she could be the just the thing he needs. This was honestly, the toughest decision she has had to make yet!_

"_Just give me until tomorrow. I'll have your answer then."_

_He could see that he'd practically won her over, and the fact that not very much could happen in the next 24 hours made him agree to the final delay. Who knows? Maybe whatever happens within the next few hours will strengthen his argument. If he pulls a few strings that is. _

"_Fine, you can have exactly 24 hours more but I _must_ have an answer by then. You may go."_

**End Flashback**

When she had gotten back to class everyone was pestering her about what the principle wanted and she had to lie and say it was about her grades and how she was in danger of being demoted to a two star for lack of effort lately. Everyone seemed to accept this and dropped the subject, guessing Mikan didn't want to talk about it any further. So, things went back to normal, and the day went by, slower then ever until classes were over and dinner was eaten and Mikan found herself wandering up to the Sakura Trees looking for some peace and quiet and a place where she could just _think_.

And so she sat there _thinking_ for hours until she heard the rustle of some nearby bushes. The young girl turned her head towards to cause of the disturbance and thought of all the things that it could be.

A rabbit, a bear, a rapist, a crazy ass dude with an axe, a murderer, a serial killer and a racoon were all the things she could think of before she heard a thump and a groan. She ruled out the rabbit, the bear, dude with the axe, the murderer, the serial killer and the racoon because half of them were animals and the other half were unlikely to have any injuries. She was then left with only one option. The rapist. She decided to go check because, if it wasn't a rapist, she'd have the person's health on her conscience forever.

So the brunette picked herself up from her spot by the Sakura's trunk and slowly inched towards to source of all the commotion. She gasped after parting the bushes to reveal…

**.x.Until Next Time.x.**

**Okay first, I know this is shorter then all the other chapters, but I thought you all would like an update so I uploaded this chapter. Second, I'm SOOOO SORRY for taking ages to update. I've been reeeeeeally lazy lately T.T **

**Thank you EVERYONE for all the nice reviews I've been getting. I replied to a few reviews when I felt in the mood (sorry if I didn't reply to your review. You must of caught me in the wrong mood T.T) so if you find I've replied again in this chapter, consider yourself lucky ;) lmao **

**Dominiqueanne: **Thank you for reviewing : They always make me smile :D  
**IAmTheBattleMaiden:** Ilook forward to those ideas ;) lawl! And That is true, I do need to properly introduce Seji T.T That's the part I'm scared of. I just hope I don't screw up that part like I've done to most of this story so far xP  
**YunaNeko: **Merci for the review :)  
**Konnie: **She might eventually, or Hotaru will work things out the way she does best. I'm still not sure. Lets wait and see xD  
**Yue679: **Yeah, a lot of people didn't seem pleased I left it on a cliffy :) Oh well! It gets people to read the next chapter lmao but thanks for the review :D  
**Anim3lov3rz96: **TeeHee. I'm glade you liked the last chapter. I hope you like this one too.  
**Littleazngirl24: **Thank you for the review :D  
**Akerue: **I don't think you're the only one who wants Seji to die xP I want him to as well :P lmao  
**L's Apprentice**: Well, I didn't stop there because I knew I HAD to cover A LOT in that chapter, so I just kept going (nearly killed myself in the process though ¬¬)  
**Emily: Hope **that satisfied your need to read more :) Thanks for the review .  
**XxHolyTenshixX: **I hope this chapter wasn't as much of a disappointment as I think it'll be.  
**Artist-girl731: **Sorry I've made you wait so long T.T Please forgive me!!  
**Jazzflame: **Maybe she knows, maybe she doesn't. It all depends on what her conversation with the principle was about and I'm sorry to say, only I know that :D Unless you or other people have guessed that is xD lol and if you'd read the summary or the previous chapters you'd know that Seji is Mikan's ex xP lol but Natsume's reaction to the first time he heard about that sadly will never be revealed as I accidently skipped it xD lmao but I'm sure you can use your imagination ;)**Wings of Fidelity: **Thanks, I don't really like it when people make Mikan seem so pathetic and damsel in distress like. I think she'd be able to take care of herself, given half a chance.  
**MeIsWatIam: **Lol I'm glad you liked my chapter enough to want the next one that badly :) I hope this didn't disappoint you ;)  
**xXxdarkAnGeL lOveRxXx: **Thanks for the review :) Here was your update ;)  
**Fleur de Cerise: **Glad you like the story so far Hope you liked this chapter just as much :)  
**Niceladysakura: **Thanks for the luck. I did reeeeeeally badly in my Media mock, which is another reason this chapter was so late and so lame. Post-exam results depression. I had a U (which was the lowest grade you can get and the only failing grade), but on the upside, it was the only subject I failed :D Do you really need me to tell you about Natsume's feelings?? Lol  
**bLue anGeL's wings: **Aww, thankies for the luck as well. I did quite well, minus Media, but that isn't life threatening xP Otherwise I got C's and D's mostly. And it was on the higher so all's good  
**vampgirl8: **Yes. I had to stop as a cliffy. I'm sorry T.T lol but I like stopping at cliffies. 'Sides, not like my chappy drew anyone in too much… I don't think :S lol  
**XKasumiX: **O.o Please don't kill me. I'm sorry I took so long to update but, as I mentioned, I've been really lazy lately xD Hope this makes up… kinda. I'll try make the next chapter longer as a make up for the shortness of this one T.T  
**Smoochynose: **Hmm… I don't think he's going to _kill_ her per se… but he is gonna cause some serious havoc in poor Mi-chans life. Lets just wait and see… :D

**Thank you everyone for reviewing. I love hearing people's opinions on my stories and I like to hear how people think I can improve ******

**Thanks for reading and hopefully reviewing too. Flames might be accepted but if they're not constructive then they will either be reported or deleted. I don't like pointless flamers. They're annoying. **

**THANK YOU FOR ALL THE SUPPORT!!**

**Much love to you all**

**.x.Kiwi.x.**


	6. Not a chapter but

You guuuysss! :'( I feel like such a bad person. It's been what, nearly 3 years? Going through all the old reviews has made me want to try my hand at this again. I hope I haven't lost you all...

Hopefully you'll all be pleased to know I'm keeping the prologue the same, with a tad bit of editing here and there. All in all, it means less editing time in general because yes, I am still going to re-write this fic as I think it's too immensely sucky for it to stay the way it is.

Why is it I always think of FF around my exam period? I'll try and start the editing process after my last exam (should be around the end of June).

I'll make a promise to try and get the editing done by the end of July. If I don't, you've all got my expressed permission to kill and or torture me in anyway you see fit. -nervous laughter- Also, once the editing is done I'm _probably_ gonna delete this and resubmit it.

Feel free to read the prologues again and the other chapters (even though they will most likely go through a pretty big change) to refresh your memories on the story line :)

Again, I'm really sorry for being so inactive these last few year :(

Love you all!

Kiera xx


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